Combination watch depth meter



April 16, 1968 F. J. MASTERS 3, 0

' COMBINATION WATCH DEPTH METER Filed Dec. 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTQR g a I frag/(A Jamf: 174st er:

ATTORNEY April 1968 F. J. MASTERS 3,377,860

COMBINATION WATCH DEPTH METER Filed Dec. 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 5INVENTOR Q- fled/wk Ja mes fi ls/6V5 ATTOR NEY United States Patent 1Claim. 61. 73-291 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to acombination timepiece watch and a depth guage mechanism for use by adiver. More specifically, the invention embodies a waterproof watchcasing having a dial indicia carrying face therein, and a watchtimepiece adjacent the dial face with hollow concentrically mountedstems extending from the timepiece through the dial face and carryingindicating hands. Next, the invention includes a Bourdon tube depthmeasuring mechaism mounted in the watch casing adjacent the timepiecedisposed between the Bourdon tube and the dial face and with the Bourdontube actuating a sector, a pinion and a second stem passing through saidhollow concentrically mounted stems and which second stern carries anindicating hand. The indicating hands register with the time and depthindicia on said dial face.

The present invention relates to a combination timepiece and depthpressure guage for use by underwater divers.

The invention which combines a timepiece and depth guage is similar inappearance and wearing ease with a common wristwatch, represents asingle article combining two very important instruments to underwaterdiving which in the past were available only as separate items. Theadvantages of such a combination is believed to be quite obvious becauseof the wearing ease of the unit and facility of checking both depth, andtime and length of time underwater, at a single glance.

An object of the present invention is to provide a combination timepiece(hereafter called watch) and depth meter Within a unitary casing similarin appearance to a common wristwatch and which straps to the wrist of anunderwater diver. The combination article has a single face upon whichare marked depth increments such as feet, and the numerals found onwatch and clock faces, with the usual hour and minute hands of a Watch,and a pointer or hand indicating depth. The stems supporting the varioustime hands and the depth pointed being positioned concentrically in thecenter of the dial face. By superimposing the Watch mechanism directlyover the depth guaging mechanism it is possible to position the depthguage pointer supporting stem within the watch hand supporting stems,thus enabling manufacture of a very compact and relatively smallcombination instrument.

It is another object of the invention to provide a relatively small (nobigger than known divers writswatches), economically manufactured,wristwatch and depth guage combination, which will eliminate thenecessity of the diver carrying two independent instruments as is doneat present.

In a preferred form of the combination the numerals and time (includingsecond) hands and depth pointer will be luminous for night diving, andall the components will be manufactured from non-magnetic materials tofulfill the demands of mine-countermeasure rules. The combination mayalso 'be provided with a recorder for maximum depth dived, and a tbezelfor decompression purposes.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 illustrates the invention in top plan view showing the singledial face and the watch hands and depth indicator positioned thereon;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1showing the stem supporting the depth pointer positioned within andconcentric with the watch stems supporting the hour and minute hands;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section view along line 33 of FIG. 2, andshows the components of the pressure guage mechanism in plan view;

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-section view along line 44 of FIGURE 1, andshows the positioning of the minute and hour hands of the watchpositioned in relation to the depth guage pointer; and

FIG. 5 illustrates in partial cross-section view, two furtherembodiments of the present invention.

In FIGURE 1, numeral 2 indicates the casing housing the watch and depthguage mechanisms. Numerals 4 and 6 indicate watch strap attachingsupports and pins respectively, to which a watch strap is attached as iswell known. The combination time and depth guage dial face is shown at8, and the depth guage pointer or hand at 10, and the watch hour hand at12 and the minute hand at 14. A watch second hand 16 may also beprovided. A stem for regulating the watch hands, and for winding thewatch if the watch is not of the selfwinding type is provided at 18, andan orifice opening to the depth guage is provided by drilled screw 20.

FIG. 2 shows the combination structure in cross-section along line 22 ofFIG. 1, and illustrates the waterproof casing 2, enclosing thereinconventional Watch timepiece mechanism (not shown) positioned in thecombination cas'mg 2 and above the depth guage mechanism. The depthpointer stem 10 is shown mounted concentric and within the stems 12' and14 supporting the watch hands.

FIG. 3 illustrates the depth guage mechanism in plan view takengenerally along line 33 of FIG. .2. The main component of the depthguage is the Bourdon tube 30. The Bourdon tube 30 is anchored within thecasing at 32, and its free link end 34 is attached to lever sector 36 bylink 38 and pins 40 and 42. Sector 36 is pivotally mounted within thecasing at 44. The inner end of sector 36 is in the form of a gear rackin meshing engagement with pointer pinion 46 to which depth pointer stem48 is securely fixed. As the combination unit is submersed the increasein pressure is transmitted to the open and fixed end 32 of the Bourdontube 30 via orifice opening in screw 20. With the increase in pressurewithin the Bourdon tube, the tube tends to straighten from its curved atrest form as is well known. With this straightening, the tube end 34moves downwardly and to the right when viewed in FIG. 3. This causeslink 38 to pivot sector 36 at 44, and the rack and gear arrangementrotates pinion 46 and attached stem 48 to move pointer 10 relative tothe dial face.

At the surface of the water, the pointer 10 will read zero feet, but asthe unit is submerged the increase in pressure tends to straighten theBourdon tube with resulting movement to pointer 10 so the same will bein indicating position relative to appropriate marked depth increments.

In FIG. 4, which is a cross-section along line 44 of FIGURE 1, the watchmechanism is indicated as positioned above the depth guaging linkage,and it will be noted that depth pointer stem 48 passes up through thewatch mechanism and is mounted concentrically within the minute handstem 14' and the hour hand stem 12'.

The dial face 8 is covered by the transparent watch crystal 50. Thewatch crystal 50 is mounted in a waterproof manner in bezel 52. by meansof seal 54, and bezel is similarly mounted in casing 2 by seal 56. Thebottom 2, of the casing is also mounted in a watertight manner by seal58, and similarly watch stem 18 is sealed at 60.

Water enters the combination unit only via the orifice in screw 20' andinto and partially filling Boudron tube 30. The remainder of the unit iscompletely waterproof.

FIG. 5 illustrates in enlarged partial cross-section a simplearrangement for a maximum depth recording pointer. A maximum depthpointer 62 is rotatably but frictionably suspended from the top centerof the watch crystal as shown at 64 in FIG. 5. As pointer 10 turns orangularly moves due to increasing depth pressure, a post 66 providedthereon contacts pointer 62 and causes pointer 62 to move therewith.Pointer 62 will thus be turned to register with the maximum depthindication of that encountered. As the diver begins the ascent andpointer 10 begins to return to zero, pointer 62 will remain at miximumdepth reading due to the frictional engagement at 64. Upon surfacing orat any desired time, the pointer 62 can be reset at zero by manualrotation of friction head 68.

Another embodiment which may usefully form part of the present structureis a milled verge time-elapseindicating ring 70 provided encircling thecasing and rotatably frictionally mounted thereon (see FIG. 5). Thisverge ring has a single radial mark (not shown) on the upper surfacethereof, and as the diver commences his dive the verge ring may berotated and the radial mark positioned in registration with the minutehand 14 of the watch. As said minute hand '14 moves, the dilference intime between said minute hand 14 and the radial mark will be apparentand such difference will be useful to determine the time length of dive,and as an aid to navigation.

Obviously, changes may be made in forms, dimensions and arrangements ofthe parts of my invention without departing from the principles thereof.

Iclaim:

1. In combination, a watch timepeace and depth gauge meter comprising awaterproof watch casing and a dial face therein having indicia on saiddial face designating both time and depth; a verge time elapseindicating ring rotatably mounted on said casing adjacent said dialface; a waterproof watch timepiece mechanism mounted within said casingand adjacent said dial face; hollow concentrically mounted stemsconnected with said timepiece mechanism and projecting therefrom throughsaid dial face and supporting hour and minute indicating pointersregistering with time indicia on the said dial face; a Bourdon tubedepth measuring mechanism mounted in said casing and having one endportion thereof in communication with exterior liquid pressure throughan opening in the casing, a rotatably mounted sector disposed in saidcasing and connected with the other end portion of the Bourdon tube, anda pinion engaging said sector, whereby variations in external pressureeffects movements of said Bourdon tube and of said pinion; a depth gaugestern connected with said pinion and projecting through and concentricwith the openings in said hollow concentrically mounted stems of saidwatch mechanism and through said dial face; and a depth gauge pointercarried by said depth gauge stem and disposed to register with depthindicia on the said dial face.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1912 Nelson 73417 X 1,913,4816/1933 Gody 58152 3,124,004 3/1964 Zenger 73431 X 3,124,928 3/1964Brunet 5857 LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner.

D. WOODIEL, Assistant Examiner.

